Dark Evenings, Dark Chocolate, Dark Matter

Tonight I've been on a release party for a book I contributed to. Maybe party is too strong a word, but there were some people gathered for the occasion. My contribution was proof reading, of which, alas, a lot was needed.

Afterwards the sun had set and it was dark outside. Soon it will be dark when I go to work and dark when I leave work. It's not the most cheerful of seasons, but at least it's cozy to snuggle up in bed with a good book (which disqualifies the book mentioned above), or maybe have a candlelit dinner. Candles are much more efficient for setting the mood when it's dark outside after all.

While in bed, or after dinner, you could do a lot worse than eat some dark chocolate. It should be about 55 - 60% cocoa, although it all depends on the quality of the beans, and the mixture of other ingredients. If ice cream is my summertime drug, chocolate is my autumn and winter's.

While we are on the subject of dark, apparently the existence of dark matter is finally proved positive. This is something that really intrigues me. Everywhere there is matter, which is perfectly visible to the eye. In fact, everything you do see is matter. But then there is dark matter, which you can't see, but which also is everywhere, even more abundant than regular matter. Since you can't see it, it has only been a theory, to be found in mathematics and physics. But maybe scientists have at last "seen" it, or the effect it has on it's surroundings. It's like the colour black. You can't see black, since no light is reflected from it to your eye. But you see everything around it, and so you see black as well, as the defined nothingness in between all the other colours.

And now I think I'll make myself a cup of black tea. See you soon!

Man Not Overboard

Robert Hudson woke up one morning in the hospital room on board, slightly dizzy from a hangover. He was below deck, and he found himself alone. He got out and made his way through the ship. He was all alone and when he came up on deck, after two hours battling rising water and panic, he understood why. The ship was sinking, and everybody had escaped in the lifeboats. So Robert jump overboard, and was eventually rescued by the tanker Robert E. Hopkins.

That happened 50 years ago, and the ship he was on was Andrea Doria, after it had collided with Stockholm. I don't know why, but somehow I have, ever since I first read about the incident, accident, been fascinated by it, so imagine my excitement when one day I came across a newspaper article from 1956 which told the story of Robert Hudson's unfortunate adventures.

I wonder what he felt, and what he thought, during those few hours. Can you imagine that? Waking up after a good night's sleep, and finding yourself alone on a sinking ship in the middle of the ocean. That's the kind of story that would be ridiculed as being far to absurd, if ever it would be made into a film.

But for Robert Hudson it was real. Poor bastard.

Out of the Woods

Since last I posted here I have been out in the countryside, where, among other things, I have been swimming in a rather cold lake. There has been no phones and no disturbances. It was ever so nice, even if it was only for three days. I wish I had a place such as that on my own, so I didn't have to be dependent on friends and relatives. You see, the life of Thoreau, by Walden Pond, has always had a strong appeal to me. It still has, but now I'm beginning to view things a little different. He says in Walden that "Above all, as I have implied, the man who goes alone can start to-day; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready, and it may be a long time before they get off." It might very well be true, and I have lived my life feeling the same way, but now I feel that maybe the joy of company does compensate for the longer wait.

At the same time, the Pope has made some clumsy remarks about Islam and it's violent past. As a response Al-Qaida in Iraq has threatened to wage Holy War, and to kill all infidels (here). Now, if that doesn't prove the Pope wrong, than nothing will. When will they get off? There seems to be no end to stupidity, vanity and insanity in the world. It's like it's all a big game, and the less responsibility you take, the greater is the chance that you might win, or rather, be considered a winner. If by no one else, that at least by yourself. I wonder what motivated the officers who took power in Thailand. It would be a sad state of affairs if they turned out to be more responsible than the flashy premiership of Thaksin Shinawatra has been. (read more here).

Love and Longing

Someone dear said to me today "If I didn't know you I would fall in love with you." Now, I leave it to you to figure that one out.

This evening I shared a Cosmopolitan with someone I used to be very close with. She has probably looked deeper into my soul than anyone else, and understood more of it than anyone else. It's been some years since we saw each other regularly, now I just miss her regularly. I hope that this can be the beginning of something new, more substantial.

It's funny what it is that you actually miss after you loose someone. It might not even be what you appreciated most when you where with them. And also, what you miss might be different things at different times. You might miss one thing after three months, and a whole different thing after three years. I was at one time seeing a girl who had a son. It was him, the son, I missed the most afterwards, for some time. Probably because he even call me dad at one time. Now what I miss the most is the e-mails she and I sent each other in the beginning.

But today has not been a day of the past, today has in many ways been a day of the future. It has been a good day. I've been successful, in business and socially. After a lousy week I needed a break. I better enjoy it as much as possible, who knows when I get another chance?

Being Self-conscious

The word blog is very hot nowadays, and it is sometimes seen as something new, this business about writing personal stuff about yourself for strangers to read. And some people get very upset when blogging is mentioned, and claim to be dead tired of people blogging. What's the deal? they are asking. Who cares about some stupid blogger's life? Well, to the second question the answer is: Surprisingly many. But another, better question, might be whether blogging is actually all that new. For one thing, as long as there have been newspapers, there have been columnists who have been writing about themselves for the benefit of the common man. Essays have also been written since the dawn of the printing press, and probably before that. What is Montaigne if not a 16th century blogger? So I don't think there is anything novel about writing a blog. What is new is that so many are doing it. Any that is probably why some are so upset. Either the "upsets" are writers, and feel that the bloggers are trespassing on their domain, or they are not writers, but hostile to blogging just because it is so popular. But, although it is perfectly all right to criticize one blog in particular, such as this one, it becomes another matter when you criticize blogging, or bloggers, per se. That is neither meaningful nor fair. It's pointless. There cannot possible be anything wrong with people writing, which, basically, is all blogging is about.

And of course, blogs don't have to be someone writing about his/her own miserable life, or his/her thoughts about the environment or George W. Bush. It can be very serious and important, or it can be something like Boing Boing, which, apparently, is the most popular blog out there. There you can, among other things, find useful tips on how to knit a Princess Leia wig (here) or how to remove plastered logos from your mobile phone (here).

But you don't have to cross the bridge to find water, here's a tip for free! If your favourite tea or coffee mug is getting dark inside, due to fallout from the hot liquid, you might try scrubbing it with salt. That removes the stains, but doesn't damage the mug itself.

Friendly Men and Sad Donkeys

You don't have to travel to the other side of the world to have memorable encounters. But somehow it helps. And on cold winter evenings, or on parties, they come back to you, either to cheer you up, or as the basis of a funny story that will make you the darling of the party. They are of course also well suited for blogs such as this one.

At one time I was waiting for the subway when a tarnished man came walking along the platform, begging for money. It wasn't rush hour and the platform was not crowded so he asked everyone. But when he came up to me he just looked at me and said "No.", and then he went to the next person.

At one time in Greece, on a blazing hot day, I sat on a low, white wall, reading a book. Suddenly an old man came out from a small cabin with a beer in one hand and a Coca Cola in the other. He gave me the Coke, and we sat there, drinking, without saying a word. He didn't even smile. When we were finished with our drinks, I gave him the can, and with a nod he went back to his cabin.

On one trip to Korea, I took a walk in the mountains that surrounds Seoul. It was also a hot day, not exactly suitable for mountaineering, so I sat down on a rock with my book. After a while a family of three came walking up to me. Mother, father and daughter. The man, beaming with joviality, said "Hello! Where are you from?" I answered him, and he said "You are very handsome! Do you have a girlfriend?" Again I answered, and he said "Don't worry, you will soon find someone!" And then they continued on their walk.

I will end today with a quote from Eeyore, not only because A.A. Milne is a favourite of mine, but because someone called 20something wrote some nice things about me on blogsrater.com, and said that my writing was "vaguely reminiscent" of said Eeyore. So here's to you, from Winnie-the-Pooh: "This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Overrated if you ask me. Silly Stuff. Nothing in it."

Birthdays and Death

Yet another birthday came and went. There was one surprise, and a pleasant one at that, my friend in Amsterdam called to say Happy Birthday. She was one day late, but still, she's forgiven.

Today I saw the French film Le temps qui reste (Time to Leave is the international title). It's the story about a man who, when he is only 31, is told that he has cancer and just a few more weeks to live. The film then shows how he spends them. It sounds very gloomy, but the film really wasn't. It wasn't upbeat either, it was pretty sad, but still. He tries to make amends for some things he has done, but he doesn't tell anyone other than his grandmother that he's dying, not even his parents. He keeps it to himself, and in that finds some sort of comfort.

It was impossible, especially as he was as old as I am, not to think about how I would react, and what I would do in his place. I have no idea. It's the same thing about disasters. How would I react during an earthquake, a fire, a war or such things. It's a pity you can't find out without actually experiencing it. I really want to know.